Art Aronson

This is a 10* play on the UNDER

Michigan State started the year at #1 in polls. But they lost their first time out, falling to #2 Kentucky 69-62. It didn’t take the Spartans long to bounce back though. Sunday saw them destroy Binghamton by a score of 100-47. Up next on the docket for Tom Izzo’s team is a date with Seton Hall. The Pirates are 2-0 having also hit triple digits in a game (beat Wagner 105-71 in the opener). They followed that up by beating Stony Brook 74-57. Needless to say, this is a major step up in terms of the opposition. Seton Hall is no slouch. They are ranked #12 in the country. But they’ll likely be playing without their best player Thursday. Myles Powell, who is the preseason Big East Player of the Year, sprained his ankle in the Stony Brook game. Replacing his production will be quite difficult, especially against a strong defensive team like Michigan State. Sparty didn’t shoot well against Kentucky (39.4 FG%) and it will be interesting to see how they do in their first true road game. The Under is 17-7 when Izzo’s team is a road favorite of 6.5 to 9 points. Play UNDER Michigan State-Seton Hall

AAA

This is a 10* play on CHICAGO 

Already on a three-game ATS losing streak, it’s going to be tough for the Bucks to cover large spreads like this one now that Kris Middleton is injured. Middleton will be out 3-4 weeks after suffering a thigh injury Sunday. This is a good chance to fade Milwaukee as they host the Bulls on TNT. Chicago is coming off a 120-102 win over the Knicks, their second 18+ point win in the last three games. Rookie Coby White had his best game as a pro, ending up with 27 points after making seven three-pointers in the fourth quarter. With Middleton out, the Bucks are going to need someone to pick up the slack. It would be unfair to expect more from Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is already averaging 29.7 points, 14.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game. This situation is not great for Milwaukee either. They are coming off four straight road games and will play three more away from home following this game. Laying such a big number makes the spot even trickier. Chicago has not been a double digit dog yet this season. They’ve only been a dog period four times. So the market respects this team a bit more than most realize. They’ve covered four of their last six games. Play on CHICAGO

AAA

This is a 10* on CLEVELAND

The underachieving Browns got back into the win column last week by beating Buffalo 19-16 as a 2.5 point favorite. Despite being just 3-6 on the season, the Browns do have reason for hope. Their upcoming schedule is among the easiest in the entire league. Remaining games for the Browns include: Arizona, Miami and two with 0-9 Cincinnati. But first they’ve got to beat long-time nemesis Pittsburgh Thursday night. The Steelers have definitely had the Browns number through the years. The last eight meetings have seen the Steelers go 7-0-1. The tie was last year. Pittsburgh comes into this game as the underdog, but has won four in a row. Most of the wins have been close though. Three were decided by seven points or less. The other, against a Miami team that was winless at the time, saw them fall behind 13-0. So the Steelers aren’t exactly dominating. Another benefit the Steelers have enjoyed is that six of their nine games have been played at home. That includes the last three. The only road game they’ve played the last six weeks was against the Chargers, who have the one of the weakest home field advantages in the league. Despite winning that game, the Steelers were outgained. They’ve been outgained by an average of 146.8 yards in the three road games this season. The Browns have only scored 38 points the past two weeks despite getting into the red zone nine times. That’s almost historic inefficiency. We look for the Browns’ offense to finally have its breakthrough game Thursday night in front of what should be a rabid Dawg Pound. Play on CLEVELAND

AAA

This is a 10* on NORTH CAROLINA

Mack Brown’s has certainly made North Carolina better. But in order for this season to be considered a success, the Tar Heels need to get to a bowl. To do that, they’ll need to win two of their next three games. Next week vs. Mercer is a lock. But they’ll also need to win one of two road games, this week at Pitt or the regular season finale at NC State. North Carolina has beaten Pittsburgh six straight times. Yet they are the underdog Thursday night. With the game being at Heinz Field, that makes sense. But even when UNC was struggling the last couple years, they still managed to beat the Panthers. The Tar Heels were a combined 5-18 the last two years with just two ACC wins. Both were against Pitt. Brown brings a better team in this year, one that started its season with upsets over South Carolina and Miami FL. Since then, the Heels are just 2-5. But it’s worth pointing out that all five losses were one-score games. Three of those losses were by a total of six points. Pitt won the ACC Coastal last year, but still lost seven games. At 6-3 this year, they’re already assured of a bowl. Were they to win out, they’d have a shot at repeating as division champs. But they haven’t won a game by more than 10 points all year and half of their wins have been by a field goal or less. Brown definitely wants that bowl bid his first year back in Chapel Hill. With the success North Carolina has had in the past vs. Pitt, we’ve gotta grab the points in this matchup. UNC is already 3-1 ATS as a dog this year. Honestly, they may be the better team here. A Pitt offense averaging just 20.9 points/game can’t really be trusted as a favorite, can it? Play on NORTH CAROLINA

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